Pyratheon
Pyratheon, also known as the Devil, Satan, and the Dark King of the Universe, is the main antagonist of the Shadowmancer series and the overarching antagonist of the first book of the same name. He is an evil creature who was once an angel and the most favoured of God's creatures. History Background God, (named Riathamus in the novel) created Heaven and Earth, and then ordered His angels to worship Him and glorify everything. Things were good in Heaven until one of Riathamus' most beautiful angels decided to challenge Riathamus and take His power and throne. He convinced numerous other angels to follow him and converted many angels to his service, they became demons. This angel was then cursed by Riathamus and given the name "Pyratheon", meaning the "Fire of God" by Riathamus. He was then banished to Hell which was created for him specifically and his followers - the Dunamez, the Varrigal (the Knights of Hell) and the Glashan. These demonic races served Pyatheon in Hell, singling out followers on Earth and reporting back to their dark master about the desires of humanity and the fear they had of death. Pyratheon managed to convince numerous humans that other gods aside from God existed and this was perhaps his greatest evil against God, for in this he succeeded. Modern times Pyratheon gained a new follower in the 1700s by a man named Obadiah Demurral, who had been a devout priest but had then lost faith and sought to overthrow God, so he summoned up Pyratheon to help him in his mission. Pyratheon came out of the gate to Hell with his Varrigal and an army of Glashan, who all fell down and worshipped him. Pyratheon startled both Demurral and Finesterre because they thought of the Devil as a scaly monster, but Pyratheon explained that God wouldn't let something hideous serve Him, and only something beautiful could be in Heaven. Pyratheon remnisced of his service in Heaven and how he fell, but then he said that now he was free of Hell he would do the entire thing again, and properly this time, with no interruption from God. He also said that soon God would be "nailed to the tree forever." To take God's power, Pyratheon needed two Keruvim: statues of angels made of gold. Demurral had one, which he gave to his dark master, but the other Keruvim was human: a boy named Raphah, from Africa, and Pyratheon sent his Glashan in to pull Raphah out to him so he could use his power. Raphah escaped, with his friends Thomas and Kate, and Pyratheon was completely unfazed by his escape, saying he had plenty of contacts and plenty of powers to track them down. Later on, the fight climaxed at a church, ironic because the myths say Satan cannot enter churches. However, Pyratheon remarks that while he may dislike churches and their holy presence, he can tolerate it more than demons can because he stood in God's presence and has some of His power. A great battle commenced between the Glashan and the angel Raphael, who came in and met his brother Pyratheon. Both then argued about taking God's power, and Raphael said Pyratheon could do no such thing. However, Pyratheon demanded Raphah give him the Keruvim, Raphah said no, and so Pyratheon got angry and killed Raphah. Raphael then told Pyratheon that Raphah was the Keruvim in human form, Pyratheon got angry and used the single Keruvim, plunging the Earth into darkness and causing time to freeze, go ahead seventeen days, and then go back again. In Raphael's words, "Pyratheon has just meddled with time." Pyratheon gloated about overthrowing God, given that he had waited so long. Suddenly Kate began crying for Raphah, and Pyratheon remarked it was funny in his new world he could hear a girl crying first. Raphael ordered Pyratheon to "go and see his world" and they left the church and went out into thick darkness, and they could hear human wailing below. But then Raphael resurrected Raphah, and saved the day by revealing a faint Sun rising. Angered that there was still hope for humanity, Pyratheon disappeared, taking Demurral with him, before Raphael could strike him with his sword. Later books Pyratheon's evil sister Yerzinia tries to succeed where her brother failed in the sequel, Wormwood, but she too is defeated by the London townsfolk and the meteor explodes above London, rather than in London as she planned and she is slain by her vengeful lover. Pyratheon returns in the fourth book, The Curse of Salamander Street, trying to kill Thomas in vengeance, but his plan is thwarted. Personality Pyratheon was once an angelic person whose followers knew almost nothing about. Many of his devout followers were steeped in evil, so they pictured their master as a roaring Beast with horns, scales and a forked tongue, but in his own words "I stood in the presence of God.". Thus, according to the Devil, God would not allow something ugly to serve Him. Pyratheon appeared as a tall, handsome, beautiful young man, clad in armoured leather, and with shining red hair. Many of his elite followers were shocked by his handsome appearance, as (having read Scripture) they pictured a Beast with horns and scales. The Glashan bowed before his beauty. Pyratheon was elegant, gentlemanly, sophisticated and faux affably evil, giving his enemies what he saw as a chance, before slaughtering them out of pure anger and spite. Pyratheon was a force to be reckoned with, as he was the most evil force in the Universe. In his view, all gods were false, and were really depictions of himself in his image in another attempt to overthrow the King and real God, Riathamus. Category:Dark Fantasy Villains Category:Book Villains Category:Satanism Category:Tyrants Category:Satan Category:Demon Category:Immortals Category:Big Bads Category:Dark Forms Category:Evil from the Past Category:Greedy Category:Arrogant Category:Genocidal Category:Leader Category:Warlords Category:Imprisoned Category:Revived Category:Male Category:Vengeful Category:Wrathful Category:Xenophobes Category:Monarchs Category:Trickster Category:Envious Category:Pure Evil Category:Successful Category:Faux Affably Evil Category:Master Orator Category:Liars Category:Hegemony Category:Necessary Evil Category:Chaotic Evil